Christmas Surprises
by Brine224
Summary: This was written a while ago for a DI x-mas Secret Santa. Season 6 Christmas Time and is definitely Clois.


Disclaimer: Not Mine.

AN: Written a while ago for a Secret Santa Exchange on DI and has been on my hard drive ever since. It was a x-mas songfic challange. Set during Season 6 Smallville time. Lois and Oliver are dating....at least at the beginning of the story.

* * *

**Christmas Surprises**

The main street in Smallville was barren of bustling town's people – they had vanished inside their homes against the dawning darkness of Christmas Eve. Wreaths and red bows adorning lamps and store doors sagged beneath the onslaught of December rain. Global warming was painting a distressing picture of endless brown landscapes where white ones should have been. A peppering of second story lights on the street suggested the occupants of the handful of Smallville apartments were home; however, only one window was devoid of any signs of Christmas.

Inside and safe from the winter chill; Lois Lane lounged in her apartment with only a single lamp for light as her green eyes devoured the pages before her. Chloe had left one of her journalism textbooks out and with her younger cousin in Metropolis visiting her boyfriend for the day; Lois took advantage of the opportunity to sift through the material without any ribbing.

Mrs. Kent had invited her to Christmas dinner and was unwilling to take no for an answer. She really didn't have any other pending engagements to deter her from going and the Senator apparently knew as much. Her father was in Turkey, Lucy was spending Christmas with a friend's family and Oliver was on his way to China for an important business meeting.

Eyes skittered over the top of the text; she took a moment to allow her mind to wander to the blonde haired, billionaire with the killer smile. She liked him – what was there not to like? He was kind, funny, gorgeous, smart and 'a billion' other things. On paper he was perfect but in her heart…

It was a mental war she had fought before as she tried to pin down what it was that Oliver lacked. He was comfortable to be around – easy company – and while there was a definite physical attraction, something was missing.

The word _passion_ jumped out at her from one of the paragraphs in the textbook and like Newton getting smacked in the head with an apple she had her answer. Rational took over, arguing that passion waned through the years and that comfort and friendship were most important. But couldn't she have both? Thinking back on her time with Oliver, she couldn't pick out a single moment where she was able to provoke him, needle him or spar with him verbally. He would simply let her say whatever she wanted to say and smirk that tiny half smile of his as though he knew something she didn't. In the privacy of her empty apartment Lois allowed the feelings of those encounters to empty into her veins.

It….annoyed her.

She liked a healthy debate; needed to argue and get riled up sometimes. Chloe and she excelled at it and even Clark was well on his way to perfecting the barb slinging. Never too hurtful and always with an air of teasing; the sniping was meant to provoke, not wound.

And…and she detested the galas and social events he took her to. She wasn't comfortable with a room full of pompous business men and their wives draped in diamonds; give her a mess hall with a thousand soldiers any day. The façade she was forced to wear on those nights frustrated her and while she could put up with it once in a while, Oliver's life seemed an endless social event. And he loved it. He enjoyed talking business with the men and yachting or what great vacations spots they had found on some exclusive island where there were even more stuffy parties.

Lois wanted a pub or a night club or just something that a twenty-one year old would do on a weekend. She wanted her jeans and tank tops when she wasn't working and as playful as Oliver was, there were restraints put on him due to his position on Queen Industries board and his public image. His idea of fun and games was hopping a plane for Mexico and while Mexico sounded fun she hated planes. A large majority of her life could be accounted for on a dry, air-borne bus. Anyway, her life was not conducive to picking up at a moments notice and taking off for a few days. She wasn't independently wealthy nor was she self-employed. But Oliver seemed to have trouble with the concept of having to work to pay the rent.

Sighing, the book dropped to the floor with a gentle thump; the rain on the window pounded with great ferocity, wind blowing it against the glass. Lois was thankful for the rain; it matched the lack of holiday decoration in her home and apathy for the time of year. She had nothing particularly against Christmas but it seemed a lot of work for a few hours of commercialized gift giving. On many of the bases she had lived with her father, Christmas was met with wary husbands and wives with little or no family close by. It was a day you anxiously waited to pass.

A knock on the front door cut through the silence of solitude causing Lois to jump up off the couch and stub her toe on the hard edge of Chloe's textbook.

"Dammit!" She hissed, immediately relieving the pressure from her injured toe.

Chloe wouldn't be back yet from Jimmy's house in Metropolis and besides she had a key. So whoever was at the door was surprising her with their presence – she hated surprises almost as much as she hated flying in a plane. Muttering a string of curses under her breath, she limped to the door and swung it opened in irritation.

Her furrowed brow and narrowed eyes were met with the easy half smile on Oliver's lips, doing his best to shake off some of the water from his rain soaked overcoat.

"What are you doing here?" Lois sputtered.

Oliver raised his eyebrows, his smirk growing, "Merry Christmas to you too."

Shaking her head of the shock, Lois responded, "No that's not what I meant. You're supposed to be on a plane to Hong Kong right now." She gripped the doorknob tighter, suddenly overcome with the absurd idea that he would be able to tell the she had been thinking about the less savory aspects of their relationship.

"It's my jet – it's not going to leave without me. If I get out of here by eight tonight I'll still make it to Hong Kong by eight in the morning on the twenty-sixth," he shrugged. "And besides, I had some important Christmas cheer to dole out."

She gaped at him.

"May I come in?" He chuckled.

"Sorry." Releasing her death-grip on the knob, Lois attempted to force her shoulders to relax. Catching sight of Oliver smiling at her she unwound marginally – he really was pretty to look at.

"It's a little dark in here." He fidgeted with his hands as he looked around the apartment.

"Yeah, I got reading and didn't bother to get up when the sun went down," she mentioned as she closed the door behind him.

"Where are all your Christmas decorations?" He walked further into the room while Lois hit the overhead lights.

She could feel the barb on the end of her tongue; that she didn't have a staff to put everything up for her and she otherwise just didn't have the time but instead swallowed the words down, pausing for a moment to formulate another response.

"Mrs. Kent invited me to dinner at the farm and I spend most of my time working so it didn't really seem worth it to put them up."

"Well then I guess it was a good thing I brought this along." One of his hands reached into a coat pocket to withdraw a sprig of mistletoe. With an impish grin he raised it above his head.

Feeling suddenly self-conscious, Lois didn't know what to do. She knew Oliver was expecting her to kiss him but it felt dishonest after the soulful revelations she had recently made. Unfortunately, explaining her lack of kiss was a greater can of worms than she was prepared to open that evening. She saw no need to ruffle feather in the little time Oliver had before his trip. Smiling far beneath her eyes she cleared the distance between them and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was quick, friendly and lacking all the passion missing from their relationship. When Oliver attempted to deepen the kiss Lois smiled and backed away.

"You have to go soon if you plan to be airborne by eight," she reminded him with a gentle pat to his shoulder.

"I wanted to see you and wish you a Merry Christmas; I'm not likely going to be getting home until the thirtieth. And…well before I go I have to give you your Christmas present." He smiled.

Lois shifted uncomfortably, "I thought we agreed not to get each other anything. You have everything anyway," she protested.

"I know but this was calling your name." He reached once more into his overcoat pocket withdrawing a long rectangular velvet box.

"What did you do?" She eyed him incredulously.

"Open it and find out." He gestured to the gift.

Nervous hands pried open the box while it rested in Oliver's palms. Inside lay an elegant gold and diamond watch on a bed of silk; the watch was encrusted around the face and sides with large cuts of inlayed precious jewels.

"Oh my God." Lois' eyes widened and her jaw loosened.

"I know, I know, it's a bit cliché for a rich guy to buy a woman jewelry but I just couldn't help myself."

"It's beautiful Oliver," Lois admitted softly. He moved to take the piece from its place in the box but her voice stopped him. "But I can't accept it."

"Sure you can;" he removed the watch from the silk bed and tossed the box onto a side table, "gifts are supposed to be frivolous; something you wouldn't buy for yourself."

"I know but this is just too much." She bit the inside of her cheek. "It really is gorgeous but I'd rather you take it back and donate the thousands you no doubt spent on it to a worthy charity." Shaking her head, Lois moved back a few steps.

Oliver seemed a little exasperated but not completely deflated. "I can't exactly return it; there's an inscription on the back." Holding out the watch, he waited for her to take it.

Lois was positive her stomach hit the floor. There had been something odd in the air since Oliver knocked on her door and it was quickly suffusing every breath she took. A searching glance at his face revealed his usual confidence with an unusual undercurrent of anxiousness. The answer was biting at her heels, issuing a flashing neon sign warning of trouble ahead.

Flipping over the watch, Lois realized that she should have heeded that warning sign. In a moment all the oxygen squeezed from her lungs and the muscles in her chest refused to cooperate in taking another breath. It wasn't until the threat of unconsciousness loomed ahead that her chest loosened, allowing a trickle of charged air to enter.

Surely she had misread the script.

Five more times of taking in the words didn't change their meaning so she finally looked up at the man who had gifted her with two fateful words that night. But upon leveling her gaze on him, she was met with another surprise. Grasped in hand Oliver held another velvet box – smaller than the first and holding a more significant piece.

"Holy shit," she gasped.

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Well, not quite the response I was looking for but at least you're not telling me to return it."

There was nary a peep for a stretch of time until Oliver decided he would fill the silence or risk being consumed by it. "I know that it's a bit unexpected but I've been thinking about our relationship a lot since I found out that I'd have to spend most of the holidays in Hong Kong." His eyes surveyed Lois for any emotion other than shock.

"I realized that I have everything a man could ever want. I have more money then I'll need in one lifetime. I have a great job and hobbies that I love. I have cars and houses and resources all over the world but the one thing I don't have is someone to share it all with. And then a little while ago when I picture my future, there you were. Life is a puzzle Lois and you are the final piece of mine."

Taking a minute to think, Oliver looked down at the diamond ring sitting proud in his hands. "I don't expect you to have an answer right away – it's kind of why I wanted to ask you tonight." Shutting the ring box, he pocketed it. "I want you to take all the time you need and you can either do that here or well…" he flattered her with an upturn of one side of his mouth, "I thought you may like to think about it in Hong Kong."

Still there was no response from the atypically quiet Lois.

"I want to spend Christmas with you. Every Christmas for the rest of our lives actually," that easy smile slid across his lips then, prepared for Lois to reply.

Checking the watch's inscription one more to ensure she wasn't seeing things, Lois blinked; one time and painfully slow, waiting for her eyes to clear before burning the two words into her retina.

'Marry Me?'

Two words, seven letters and one annoying choice of punctuation that dared to make the question cute and less threatening than the life altering implication it actually implied. She was twenty-one! Nowhere near ready for marriage or even a lengthy engagement. Had Oliver lost his mind? Was he doing drugs again? It would be funny if it weren't so disorienting.

It was clear now what she needed to do. Forestalling the inevitable was only going to cause more problems in the long run. They were at two different places in their lives – each wanting completely different things. It appeared their paths had finally diverged too far apart and it was time to cut the ties between them so each could continue their respective journeys.

"I can't," she shook her head negatively.

"Yeah it's short notice. Maybe its better that you take the time while I'm away to think about-" Lois cut him off.

"No, that's not what I meant. Well, it kinda is…" she was getting flustered, rocked by the enormity of what he had asked her. "I can't go with you to Hong Kong but I also can't marry you."

Oliver's confidence wavered. "You don't have to answer right-"

"It's better that I do," she interrupted, knowing what he was attempting to say. "Now, when you get back, or a few months from now – it doesn't matter. My answer will still be no." It came out harsher than she intended but he wasn't listening to what she was trying to tell him. "You're one of the most amazing guys I've ever met Oliver but did you really think that I would or could say yes?"

"I just don't see the point in waiting a few years to ask you when I know now that you're the one I want to marry," he explained.

"I'm not ready to get married and to be honest I don't see wanting to for a long time. I know you're going to do amazing things in your life Oliver but I can't be the one to be beside you when you do them."

"Just because I'm asking now doesn't mean we have to get married right away. I have no problem with a long engagement," Oliver counter, feeling Lois slipping further from him with every argument.

"You want to marry me but you don't even really know me," Lois sighed.

"What're you talking about? Of course I know you." He smiled.

Shaking her head sadly, "Regardless of whether you think you know me, I don't think I really know you."

Oliver wisely remained silent. Too aware of secrets he was keeping from her.

"I can't marry you," Lois reiterated.

Taking a deep breath he relented, "Let's just forget about the proposal then. Umm, I want you to keep the watch though. When I get back from my trip we'll just pretend it never happened."

"No. I think we should end this before anyone gets hurt."

"A little late for that," Oliver shot back bitterly. "You couldn't pick a better time to break my heart?"

"Don't pretend like your heart was invested in this Ollie. There were no declarations of love on either of our part."

"Of course I love you! I just asked you to marry me!" A vein at the side of his neck pulsated close to the surface of the skin. "I get it. You're scared of the commitment; the minute you sense us getting closer you pull away or do something to sabotage our relationship."

"Sabotage! What have I ever done to sabotage our relationship?!!"

"Your obsession with Green Arrow."

"That's not an obsession! That's my job! And what do you care anyway, it has nothing to do with you."

"No, you took on a job to quantify your unnatural preoccupation with Green Arrow."

"Whoa there buster – don't you dare try to ascertain my motives. I don't need you or anyone else psychoanalyzing me."

"If you think that you're going to be able to push me away by fighting with me, you're wrong. I'm not giving up on you just because you're a little scared. I love you."

"But I don't love you," she whispered. The tension from clenching her jaw through their argument was igniting a firey headache at her temples. "I don't want to fight with you anymore Oliver. I'm sorry; I really am but it's over."

"I have a plane to catch," he mentioned as though he wanted her to know that he was leaving of his own volition.

"Here," Lois held out the watch to him.

"It's yours."

"I don't want it." She shook her head softly, pushing her hand closer to him until he took the watch.

He walked out the door without a further word between them. Outside the apartment, Oliver Queen looked upon the watch with a painful ache building in his chest. "Merry Christmas Lois."

* * *

The isolation that resonated once the apartment door was shut proved to be too overwhelming. Making a split second decision, Lois pulled on her scarf and coat, grabbed her keys and jetted out the door. There was only one place she felt like she could go without notice; one place that the loneliness always evaporated.

Christmas lights glowed around the roof of the yellow farm house and the doors of the barn. Bushes out front of the porch were wrapped with twinkling white specks. Lois took in the sight, enjoying the decorations and the warmth that they emanated.

Dashing from the car to escape the rain and the gusting wind, she blew through the kitchen door and into the house having to almost skid in order to stop. Christmas music was playing from some unknown point in the house but it was unobtrusive enough to be shrugged off. She let out a shivering breath and turned to see Clark watching her with raised eyebrows from in front of the fridge. Ignoring him, she shrugged off her coat and scarf, hanging them by the door.

"Uh…Lois?" Clark's brow furrowed.

"Have you been outside lately? Forget winter, I've seen tamer monsoon seasons in the South Pacific." She walked to the coffee maker on the counter and hit the on button. "Where's your mom?"

"Out visiting the neighbours, they exchange baked goods before Christmas."

"What, and the prodigal son didn't tag alone to make nice with the town folk?" Lois teased, pulling a mug from the cupboard.

"Not really my thing…what are you doing here?" He crossed his arms and smirked at her.

"I was out driving and followed a bright light in the sky…what do you think I'm doing here Smallville – I came to see yo – your ah Mom," she quickly corrected herself, trying to stop the blush that wanted to mar her cheeks when it was evident that he hadn't missed her blunder.

"My Mom. So you were just coming to see her." He leaned a hip against the counter.

Narrowing her eyes she huffed and played along, "Yep…why who else would I have been coming to see?"

"I thought you might have been coming to wish your best friend a Merry Christmas." He smiled easily.

There was something about his smile that melted away the tension of the evening in Lois. It was comfortable and flirty with a quality that she couldn't quite name. She wasn't sure when he had begun to think of her as his best friend but she was surprisingly pleased with the title, coming to realize that she had been missing his company over the busy few weeks leading up to the holiday.

"Yeah well I couldn't let you mope on Christmas Eve."

Clark's smile faltered, "I ah was talking about Shelby," he cleared his throat.

Blushing anew, she her gaze to the dripping coffee maker. "Right."

A full fledged smile stretched across Clark's lips and lit his eyes remarkably. "I'm kidding Lois." Her reaction was too uncharacteristic not to comment on. "What's going on with you?"

"What're you talking about, nothing."

"Com'on Lois, something's bothering you. I know you think I'm a simpleton but I'm not that dense." His lips pursed at her.

She pointed her finger at him, "I don't think you're a simpleton….I think you dress like a simpleton – big difference Smallville." Turning to pour the steaming coffee into her mug, she continued, "And nothing's really bothering me, I just had a bit of a surprise tonight; it threw me off my game."

Clark waited but Lois provided no more information. He rolled his eyes while she sipped her drink. "So are you going to tell me what surprised you?"

Shrugging, she replied, "Oliver asked me to marry him."

Clark's reaction was immediate and strong, "WHAT!" He felt the most bizarre sensation cut through him. It was similar to the pain from Kryptonite only it was accompanied by a dull ache.

Lois pointed at him, "That was pretty much the face I made."

"Is he crazy?"

"So someone has to be crazy to want to marry me?" She leveled him with an even glare.

"That's not what I meant. But you've only been dating a little while and you two don't even know each other well….at least not well enough to get married," he sputtered.

"Which is pretty much what I said to Oliver when he asked me why I couldn't marry him."

"You said no." Clark felt the tension in his chest ebb and his stomach unclench. It didn't make any sense. He shouldn't care whether Lois wanted to marry Oliver – he was a good guy and could provide her with a better life than he could ever hope to. And there was the crux of the issue….why was he, Clark Kent, thinking about a life with Lois Lane?

"Of course I said no." She tilted her head back incredulously. "I told him that I couldn't marry him…right before I told him that I didn't think we should see each other anymore."

"You broke up with him?" Her nostrils flared so Clark rushed to calm her anger. "I'm not judging; I'm just amazed that all of this happened. I didn't even realize that you and Oliver were so close." He swallowed down the bitter taste of jealousy.

"You and me both," she groaned, pulling down another mug from the cupboard and filling it with coffee. "Oliver's a great guy but I'm not ready to be anyone's wife." She doused the drink with milk and sugar before handing it to Clark. "I could manage the fact that we were from two different worlds but I wasn't about to speed my life up just because he was in a place that I haven't reached yet. He knew who he was before he met me…I'm still learning who I am."

"And you'd rather have someone willing to take the journey with you instead of pulling you along while they take their own journey," Clark remarked.

Eyeing him over her mug Lois smiled. "That's actually one of the least retarded things you've ever said Smallville."

Clark frowned but ignored the comment. "I'm actually really impressed. It couldn't have been easy to turn down Oliver Queen. Your life would have been a whole lot easier if you had said yes." Clark took a drink of his coffee, prepared just the way he like it.

"Yeah well I'm not Lana; I don't think marrying a billionaire is a ticket to the easy life." Lois mentally groaned at letting her mouth run away with her. "Sorry, that was uncalled for. No need to insult people who aren't here."

She was stunned when Clark merely shrugged. "Unfortunately Lex is a whole other breed of billionaire. I warned Lana when she got involved with him but ultimately it's her decision whether good or bad."

"Wow Smallville I'm stunned. You sound like you're actually being mature about the whole Lana situation."

"When a person's stunned doesn't that mean their unable to speak." He rolled his eyes.

"Never really been a problem for me." She grinned impishly.

"No kidding."

"I wouldn't worry about Lana too much; I have a feeling she can be almost as manipulative as Richie Rich. And as for walking away from Oliver…it wasn't as difficult as you think. I'd rather wheeled my own power, not borrow from my husband."

"I don't doubt for a second that you're going to be a forced to be reckoned with – you already are." Clark tossed her a shy smile that endeared him to her.

"I'm not sure if that was supposed to be a compliment or not but I'm taking it like it is."

"Of course you are," he drawled.

"So, what were you doing tonight before I showed up and rescued you from potential moping?"

"I was wrapping my Mom's gift and I wasn't moping," he added.

"What'd you get her?" Lois left the kitchen in the direction of the tree in the living room.

"I'm not telling."

"Com'on I want to know in case I got her the same thing."

"Not going to work Lois."

"Small-ville," Lois whined.

"Lo-is," he shot back.

"Fine then…what'd you get me?" She smiled.

Clark's eyes widened, "I was supposed to get you a present?"

"Ha ha, that would've been funny if I hadn't already seen the present under the tree from you to me." She stooped to pick up the package.

"You have to wait until Christmas morning to open it," Clark argued, reaching for the gift.

"It has my name on it."

"Well, I'm the giver and I'm not giving it to you yet."

Clark managed to wrestle the present from Lois' grip, though she would later claim that he only succeeded because she was distracted by the music that seemed louder in the living room.

_Merry Christmas, I don't want to fight tonight  
Merry Christmas, I don't want to fight tonight  
Merry Christmas, I don't want to fight tonight with you_

_Where is Santa? At his sleigh?  
Tell me why is it always this way?  
Where is Rudolph? Where is Blitzen, baby?  
Merry Christmas, merry merry merry Christmas_

"The Ramones Smallville?"

"I can't like original punk? The Ramones are an American classic." Clark tucked one arm across his chest while hold the coffee mug with the other.

"You're just a revelation waiting to happen aren't you," Lois teased.

_All the children are tucked in their beds  
Sugar-plum fairies dancing in their heads  
Snowball fighting, it's so exciting baby_

"No snowball fights this year," Clark sighed as he looked out the window.

"You always seemed like more of the snowman type to me."

"You never stop do you….I think I liked you better when you were distracted with the Oliver thing." Coming to stand beside Lois to look out the window at the falling rain, he nudged her hip with his so she knew he was kidding.

_I love you and you love me  
And that's the way it's got to be  
I loved you from the start  
'Cause Christmas ain't the time for breaking each other's hearts_

_Where is Santa? At his sleigh?  
Tell me why is it always this way?  
Where is Rudolph? Where is Blitzen, baby?  
Merry Christmas, merry merry merry Christmas_

Drifting back to the tedious minutes in her apartment earlier in the evening, Lois was reminded of a comment Oliver had made. "When he was trying to sell me on the whole marriage thing, he said something that bothered me but I have no idea why." Clark nodded for her to continue. "He said that I was the final piece of the puzzle for him." She shot Clark a sidelong glance, warmed to see that he was seriously considering what she was saying.

_All the children are tucked in their beds  
Sugar-plum fairies dancing in their heads  
Snowball fighting, it's so exciting baby_

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Having come to a revelation, he turned to face her. "It should have bothered you. You shouldn't be the last piece of anybody's puzzle Lois. You should be the picture that's revealed when the last piece is in place."

"That might be the kindest thing anyone's ever said to me," Lois whispered while thinking that it was likely also the most romantic.

_I love you and you love me  
And that's the way it's got to be  
I loved you from the start  
'Cause Christmas ain't the time for breaking each other's hearts_

Once more a smile split Clark's face and brightened his eyes. He looked more relaxed and at peace than she ever remembered seeing him, and that gleam in his eyes - - it was passion. The passion that had been missing from her relationship with Oliver was there in Clark's gaze. It was there in every teasing remark, every barb and friendly torment. It was there every time they helped one another, or lent an ear or shoulder for support. It would seem that passion hadn't been missing in her life; she had simply been looking in the wrong place for it.

Clark shocked her again with his next confession, "Would it be okay if I said that I've missed you?"

"I haven't gone anywhere."

"Not really but you've been busy. I feel like I haven't seen you in a long time." He dropped his head, afraid of her reaction.

_Merry Christmas, I don't want to fight tonight  
Merry Christmas, I don't want to fight tonight  
Merry Christmas, I don't want to fight tonight with you_

Being honest about her feeling had never come easy to her but she had broken one heart already that night – and breaking Clark's was not an option. "I've missed you too." There were other words sitting on the tip of her tongue, unwilling to be release into the space between them.

"It's snowing," Clark's awed whisper caused Lois to look out the window. Sure enough the rain had turned to snow seamlessly and was piling on the ground outside at a fast pace. "If there's enough out there tomorrow, wanna have a snowball fight?"

Lois beamed at him, "Only if we can build a snowman after."

"Deal." Clark nodded and sipped at his cooling drink.

Glancing to the side Lois saw a small grouping of mistletoe resting on the mantle of the fireplace. She weighed the pros and cons of taking the risk but decided that if Christmas really was a time for miracles she was going to take advantage of it. Having made the decision, she reached out to grab the leaves and twigs, rising up on her toes, she reached above her head.

"Clark." He turned to her when she called, moving his gaze upward where hers was. "Merry Christmas," she whispered right before pressing her lips to his in a gentle kiss.

The first kiss was careful and unsure and it ended shortly after it began. Neither moved far from the other – Lois almost as amazed as Clark that she had actually kissed him. Seeing his opportunity, Clark leaned down to reciprocate. This time the kiss lingered playfully; both seducing the other's lips to open; the mistletoe dropped to the floor next to the Christmas tree forgotten. Her arms had found a better position wrapped around Clark's neck while his circled her waist and pulled her closer.

When they finally resurfaced for air they were both smiling. "Does this mean that I have a date for New Year's Eve?" Clark dropped a kiss on her jaw and another on her lips.

"Promise me you won't propose?" She asked cheekily.

Clark pulled back and raised an eyebrow, "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Then you most definitely have a date." She kissed him once more – his lips tasted of everything good. "I'm not sure about Christmas being full of miracles but it's definitely full of surprises." She muttered against Clark's lips.

If she hadn't been distracted she may have noticed that the mistletoe that had been in convenient reach moments before had vanished from the house completely.

**END**


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